I know handheld systems used to be a really popular thing even if they lagged far behind the current console equivalent in terms of graphics and sound... This was especially true in the era of the GameBoy/GBC. People loved that thing so much. The idea of being able to take your gaming on the go is a very appealing concept, but it seems like people are caring less and less every day. From what I can tell, not many people in the US actually had a PSP despite it being significantly more robust than the DS. Even the DS probably wasn't as popular as the GBA or GC.

Now with the 3DS and PS Vita out... it seems like no one is really buying them at all. Selling games and game systems is part of my job and Vita sales are really poor. This surprises me because the Vita makes the "take your gaming on the go" concept go even further since you can literally transfer progress between it and the PS3 version of compatible games. It seems that handheld gaming systems are dead to consumers and all anyone cares about these days are the actual gaming consoles. They're no longer satisfied with handheld systems.

What do you think?

Well, I know I love my 3DS a lot and my brother loves my PSP as does my friend, and the three of us all have friends who love their hand held gaming devices too.


Some of my favorite games are on the DS and 3DS, and if Nintendo makes remakes Majora's Mask for the 3DS like they did Ocarina of Tinme I know for a fact I am no putting that thing down and I will hug it like a teddy bear in my sleep.


I personally am going to vote for no but I will admit I don't really go out often so I can't put a conclusive opinion on this; only on my own personal feelings and what I've seen. But the fact that my 3DS has Street pass on, I do sometimes receive a few street pass notifications and I actually got quite a few of other people's little Mii-thingywhatsits for how little I do go out, and that's just the 3DS alone of people in my vicinity.

No i don't think they are. I still play my little gameboy Sp. I still play the nintendo ds i think a lot of people still play it. They need to make some more handheld games to me.

  Definitely not dead. It's true that the graphics aren't as good, and the games can't be as long, but the different features they offer, plus, of course, they are portable, make them a good time killer for a long car ride.

I'm glad to hear people still want them, I guess. I know Nintendo has done well up to the DS... and I still sell DSi(/XL) systems... but I almost never see people wanting 3DS or PS Vita systems... and I've had multiple customers imply that handheld gaming was a dying art. I was just concerned because I do love the convenience of handhelds and if the demand ceases, companies might stop making them.

Handheld gaming might not be dying in the hardcore crowd, but I think it might be in the casual crowd because of "phone" gaming. Just an uneducated hunch, but it's possible. I really haven't heard much hype over the 3DS, and even less for the Vita, so I have a hard time imagining that there is much casual interest in either.

I agree. Within the Hardcore gaming Community there going strong, But when the DS and PSP first came out, their main customers from the Casual Gaming Community where young kids and People travelling to work I.E Trains,Buses.

With Phones and Tablets and Kindles and everything else taking over now, unfortunately handheld gaming is being pushed to the back of the line.

They possibly (and I'm not sure as they have sadly fallen from my radar too) need to bring out some BIG name games that are restricted to handheld to boost their reputation again. Unfortunately when I think back to DS and what games I had they were all continuation games.I.E Pokémon,super Mario. These are all well and good and very big name games to have,but I think they could do with something fresh.

Just an idea,going by history as proof. The Game boy sold better because some games were harder to get on console,again I.E Pokémon, Mario. Now the wii carries those names people prefer to use a big screen and console. Maybe if the names weren't so interchangeable individual consoles would last longer.

The 3DS will gain momentum when they release Pokemon games for it, I'm sure.

I don't know what hope the Vita has. I get the feeling it's strongest titles are all going to be JRPGs, which while that'll make it sell great in Japan (much like the PSP did), it won't hit nearly as hard in the Western market. Not to mention most of these will just be console ports.

I would like to see Square-Enix continue their Final Fantasy remakes onto the 3DS. They really need to make a FF5 3D remake on it. FF6 as well. I think that will also boost the system's appeal. I know a lot of people who bought DSes for FF3/4DS. A legit remake is at least a step up from a straight up port with some added content.

Some fresh content would be nice, but developers view handhelds as low budget projects. They're just cheap little games they can make and hopefully turn a quick profit on. That's why you see so many scaled-down ports on them.

For me , Hand-held gaming systems are still in use . Some kids are still using many kings of hand held gaming consoles . Even I am still using hand held gaming consoles / systems such as the Nintendo 3DS and the Play Station Portable or PSP .

I still own my DS lite from when I was seven. It is in almost perfect working condition, and I still enjoy playing all my games on it... even though it is considered obsolete now.

I would say that Handheld Consoles definitely are not dead. I see them everywhere, for starters. They are making new ones, new games for them, new features... people are loving them. However, I think certain communities are more or less likely to actually have them. Like mine? There are basically no real gamers.

It's hard to imagine that handheld consoles are actually the future of game... I mean, conceptually, yes... but in actuality? The interest in this generation of handhelds is lower than I've ever seen before. The Wii-U is already sold out in pre-orders across the US. I don't remember this happening for the 3DS. I also know that many stores STILL have their launch Vitas in stock. Not only did they not sell them on launch day, but still haven't yet.

Sure, sales will pick up if/when the libraries improve... but there's nowhere near the amount of excitement for a handheld launch as there is a console launch. If this trend continues, I seriously believe developers will give up on handhelds. Apathy will kill them.

Crazy Li : Well the reason the 3ds didn't get sold out with pre-orders is because it was to expensive.  Like a couple months after the release Nintendo lowered the price by nearly $80.

But no I don't think handhelds are dead.  3ds is releasing a new Pokemon mystery dungeon for japan in November and i don't know the release date for north America. PS vita is introducing cross play like with play station all stars battle royale. If you buy it for the ps3 you also get a copy of it for vita too. So I am sure that will get a lot of money.

I think there's no true answer since now that android and ios gaming is becoming ultra popular *cough* *cough* *angry birds* that phones might end up taking the place of a regular handheld but with vita and 3ds, graphics and processing power are getting waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy better and are starting to look similar to their console counterparts, but anyway I would say no, handhelds still have a huge future in front of them.

I think your thoughts are a bit off here. PlayStation consoles have all ways been sleeper systems but they end up selling in the long run. The Vita will make sales when it really starts dropping those quality titles that are coming out for it, like Persona 4: Golden.

NameEntry : What about the regular PSP? That never sold in the North American region. This resulted in nobody in the US buying Japanese titles that went to PSP (since they didn't have/want a PSP to play it on) and then those titles ceasing to come to this region. Valkyria Chronicles is a good example of this. Sold well in the US on PS3. Sega decides to cut corners and make the sequel a PSP game. It sells like crap in the US so the 3rd game is only released in Japan. Supposedly that was the most profitable way for them to do things.

My vote is no. For one thing, people still play handhelds such as the 3DS and the PS Vita. Also, iPhones and other various smart phones can be considered handhelds because of the many games and apps available on them.